454 Vortech intake gaskets
 

hi guys i am new to the big bloce i have allways had 350"s i resently bought my first 454 big block vortech truck and the intake gaskest are leeking it looks alot different than intake gaskets on a 350 what do i all need to replace other than the upper and lowwer intake gaskets wile i am in ther i am also going to do a cap rotor and plugs and wires but is there annything els i want to replace wle i am in there gasket ect? thanks for the imput guys.

anny idea of what i will need other than upper and lower intake gaskets

Patients will carry you a long way, as it is just a little time consuming, but not hard to do. I would soak the EGR pipe connection to the intake manifold as it has probably been there a while and it does get hot. After letting it soak for a while, I would just turn it a little each way until it loosens up. You will want to mark the placement of the distributor housing in relationship to the lower manifold, as you will have to pull the distributor before you can pull the intake to replace the lower gaskets. I don’t know whether or not you are using factory gaskets or aftermarket replacements, but the quality of the factory pieces are top notch just expensive. If your replacement set come with end rail seals, ditch them in favor of just running a bead of silicone down each end rail of the block. Let it set up for just a slight bit before setting the manifold in place, so that it doesn’t just push out and it should hold up quite well. You will also want to check the gasket mating surfaces of the upper and lower intake with a straight edge while you have the intake off, which you can dress up with a machinist file pretty easily. Besides the end rails, the upper to lower gasket are the worst to leak. While you have the upper intake off inspect the injectors for leaking o-rings and it’s totally up to you, but you may think about replacing the fuel pressure regulator while the upper intake is off and you have access to it. If you don’t, it’s no big deal to get to later; it’s just that the gaskets are fairly expensive.

whould u go with aftermarked or GM gaskets? i hhave a buddy that gets a discount on GM parts and he also gets a discount at NAPA do you know off the top of your head what size wrench i winn need for the EGR pine i glanced last night and dont thing i have on big enought so i will have to buy on before i start and one more question what is the best way to mark the distributor so i get it back in the right place? thanks agen 1 bear for all the help

This is a practice that I've been using for years with great results, I've found the rubber end rails to be leaky little bastards :nod: I used to use RTV, but have been using Toyota FIPG (Form In Place Gasket) since I started with Toyota in 92. It comes in a tube like RTV, but I believe is a different compound, and seals excellently and is very forgiving...plus I get it for free from work ;)

This is one area that the foreigners have a good idea, while I don't use is for such a wide gap as the end-rails, ever since playing with motorcycles, I have used a product called Yamabond (which I believe to be made by the Loctite Corp.) with a lot of aluminum to aluminum component installations. Of course the newer motors don’t have to many traditional gaskets anymore, everything is encapsulated steel or o-ring gaskets and just about ended all the leaks that were so typical.

thanks for all the advice i was able to get the egr pipe loose last night i am planing on starting the project friday one other question i have is do ihave to remove the valve covers and the bels and altinator and A/C compresor or can i sneak the intake out with out removeing all that?

You don't have to remove rocker covers, Alternator but you may have to remove A/c compressor. It has been awhile since I did one but think the a/c needs to be removed and repositioned off to the side.

ok here is the update i pulled the upper and lower intakes off my truck last night and am going to start putting it back together tonight my question is what spark plug should i run in my 454?